Courts

July 2022

TODAY in COURT: Trial of Suspect in Murder of Homeless Eureka Man to Begin Next Week; 2020 Hoopa Murder Case Inches Forward

Local Man Given 25 Years to Life for Burglarizing Motel Room — His Third Strike — Says District Attorney’s Office

June 2022

‘We’ve Got to Wake Up’: Newsom, Huffman React to Supreme Court Decision Limiting EPA’s Ability to Tackle Climate Change

At Emotional Hearing, Eureka Resident Who Killed San Jose Mother While Driving High on Meth Sentenced to Seven Years

DA: Sotolongo Given 16-to-Life Sentence for 2016 Murder

Jury Convicts Sotolongo of Second-Degree Murder for 2016 Hoopa Stabbing

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: Jury Asks for Clarification, Re-examines Evidence in Hoopa Stabbing Case

May 2022

TODAY in COURT: Man Who Bit Off Cop’s Thumb Gets Four Years and Change; Kneeland Murder Suspect Says He’s Not Insane, but a Doctor Disagrees; Sotolongo Jury Still Deliberating

Accused Fortuna High Coach Taken Into Custody After Judge Increases Bail at Arraignment

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: Testimony Ends; Closing Arguments to Begin Tomorrow Morning

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: Defense Presents Self-Defense Case, While Prosecution Points to the Accused’s History of Jailhouse Fights

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: Defense Witnesses Say Victim Had Threatened the Accused’s Life and Beaten His Uncle Into a Coma in the Weeks Before the Stabbing

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: New Evidence Shows That Victim in Hoopa Stabbing Was Carrying Knife in His Pocket

Alderpoint Murder Suspect Told Cops He Shot Man in the Head to Save His Puppy, Investigator Testifies

‘Cold-Blooded and Egregious’: Humboldt Man Sent to Prison for ‘Terrifying’ Abduction of His Ex and Two Others, Feds Say

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: More Witnesses Identify the Accused as the Person Who Stabbed Victim in the Heart

SOTOLONGO TRIAL: Eyewitnesses Recall Fatal Stabbing at the Hoopa Mini-Mart Six Years Ago

TODAY in COURT: Second Ray Christie Trial Scheduled for August; Mother of Convicted Bear River Murderer Can Stand Trial in Humboldt

Local Class Action Lawsuit Targets Partnership HealthPlan Over ‘Massive Data Breach’ of Personal Info

TODAY in COURT: 50 Years in State Prison For Man Who Shot Sheriff’s Deputy; Judge Denies Prosecution’s Motion to Delay Christie Trial

Criminal Proceedings Against Suspected Kneeland Killer Suspended; Judge Orders Psychiatric Evaluation

April 2022

TODAY IN COURT: Kneeland Murder Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Rio Dell Man Sentenced to Four Years After Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend, District Attorney’s Office Announces

LIFE: As He Continues to Protest His Innocence, Convicted Rio Dell Murderer Demetrius Coleman Sentenced to Life in Prison With No Possibility of Parole

Plea From Mother of Bear River Murderer Delayed; Can She be Charged as an Accomplice in Humboldt if She Didn’t Learn About the Crime Until They Reached Shasta?

TODAY in COURT: Fieldbrook Kneeland Murder Suspect Says He Wants to Hire His Own Lawyer

Kneeland Homicide Suspect Transferred Back to Humboldt, Will Be Arraigned Next Week

Ettersburg Killer Ryan Tanner Sentenced to 39 Years, but Will be Released Earlier; Friends, Family Members Testify

Second Suspect Must Stand Trial in Hoopa Valley Roadside Murder, Judge Rules

Ulisses Rodriguez Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murders of Jeremy Kuemmel and Tiffany Ellebrecht

March 2022

Sentencing Delayed for Man Who Bit Off Arcata Officer’s Thumb; Judge Decides to Wait For Out-of-State Mental Health Records

Ryan Tanner Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter, Other Crimes, Will Be Sentenced to 40+ Years in Prison

CHRISTIE CASE: Rancher Battling Cancer as Second Trial Looms

TODAY in COURT: Eureka Murder Suspect Jason Miller has New Charges Added at Arraignment; Moore Trial Date Set

TANNER CASE: Judge Drops Arson Charge Against Suspect in Ettersburg Homicide, but the Trial on Kidnapping and Murder Charges is Scheduled to Start Monday

Jury Convicts Hoopa Man of Attempted Murder, Aggravated Mayhem and Other Charges Stemming From 2021 Shooting Incident

TODAY in COURT: Man Convicted of Rio Dell Murder May Finally be Sentenced Next Month; Alderpoint Murder Suspect Scheduled for Preliminary Hearing

MILLER PRELIM: Murder Suspect Can Stand Trial, Judge Rules, Despite the Fact That No Body Has Been Found

MILLER PRELIM: Witnesses Say Suspect in Eureka Murder Showed Them Victim’s Body, Confessed to Dismembering and Burying Her

Thumb Biter Found Guilty on All Counts; Judge Declines to Jail Defense Attorney for Poor Behavior During Trial

‘He Brought the APD to its Knees,’ Boasts Defense Attorney Of Client Who Bit Off Officer’s Thumb; Jury Begins Deliberations

February 2022

Testimony Wraps in Case of Arcata Man Accused of Biting Off Cop’s Thumb; Defense Attorney Reprimanded For Mocking Officers

Man Convicted of False Imprisonment, Indecent Exposure in 2020 Fortuna Launderland Case

Bear River Triple Murderer Gets 150-to-Life Sentence as Relatives of the Deceased Speak Their Truths; Killer Can Apply For Parole in 25 Years

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: Guilty On All Charges, Says Juror; Convicted Double Murderer Could Face Life in Prison

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: Jury Still Out After First Day of Deliberations

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: Defense Lays Out Alternative Theory of the Double Murder as the Case Goes to the Jury

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: Defense Calls First Witness, Who Cast Some Doubt on the Question of Whether a Previous Witness’s Nickname is ‘Baretta’ or ‘Berrara’

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: Medical Examiner, Other Evidence Specialists Testify to Manner of Victims’ Deaths

RODRIGUEZ TRIAL: More Witnesses Testify to Suspect’s Actions in Wake of Double Murder; Language Barrier Causes Complications

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